Today at the CTIA Enterprise & Applications show in San Francisco
, Verizon's president and CEO said that the company's 4G LTE network will launch in 38 major metropolitan areas, covering more than 110 million Americans, by the end of the year.
Verizon's new wireless broadband network claims to offer higher data speeds (initially for laptop users). CEO Lowell McAdam added that in January, the wireless operator will unveil six devices, such as smart phones and tablets, that will work on the network as soon as the first half of 2011.
"Bottom line: this is a significant shift for the industry, something we've talked about for 20 years," McAdam said.
McAdam said 62 airports across the country will also be covered, with seven of those outside of the launch cities. McAdam said that 18 months from today, about 200 million would be covered by 4G LTE and by the end of 2013, coverage would equal that of 3G.
Chief Technical Officer Tony Melone joined McAdam for the announcement and said, "What we have seen in trials, as expected, is that the network is very conducive toward video, upstream and downstream."
As for speed, Verizon Wireless expects the 4G LTE to leave its current 3G EVDO network in the dust, with average data rates to be 5 to 12 megabits per second (Mbps) on the downlink and 2 to 5 Mbps on the uplink in real-world, loaded network environments. While the company claims the network will be "significantly faster than ... other wireless providers' current or promised 3G network speeds," other carriers including AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile are making similar claims.
Melone added that calling would still covered by the current CDMA network and that 4G LTE would handle only data.
"We are driven by the vision to provide ubiquitous wireless broadband connectivity and mobility to rural and urban Americans alike. With our initial 4G LTE launch, we will immediately reach more than one-third of all Americans where they live, right from the start," McAdam said.
This includes:
• Large sections of the Northeast Corridor, including Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. as well as Rochester, New York
• Throughout Miami and south Florida, Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and New Orleans as well as Charlotte, North Carolina and Nashville, Tennessee
• Chicagoland, St. Louis, the Twin Cities, Pittsburgh and major cities in Ohio
• Major population centers in California as well as Seattle, Phoenix, Denver and Las Vegas
Verizon has a full list of cities and airports where the rollout will occur.
Verizon Wireless is also reaching into the academic domain as part of this launch, choosing as its 39th market West Lafayette, Ind., home of Purdue University. In a separate press event, McAdam said Purdue is engaging in a fully integrated wireless campus with the company.
When asked about a pricing plan, McAdam said that Verizon hasn't finalized those yet, but, "Customers are going to need to shfit consumption to pay as you use. LTE doesn't force us to move to that model, but clearly over time we'll be migrating to buckets of megabits or gigabits, to buy what they need."
McAdam also fielded a question about a topic that comes up every couple of weeks: a CDMA version of the iPhone.
He said, "This is one of those things rolls out every few weeks, whether there's a basis for it or not. Apple is the one that really has to make that announcement. I expect at some point our business interests are going to align."
Apple TV vs. Google TV: What's the difference?
By Suzanne Choney
Since it was announced months ago, Google TV has been a bit of a squishy notion to many of us. On Monday, the search giant unveiled a peek of what Google TV will bring.
"It's an adventure where TV meets Web, apps, search and the world's creativity," Google said on its new site devoted to Google TV. "And before long, anyone will be able to build applications for it." And in case you're worried about your hardware, Google promises that, "from the start it will be able to work with any TV."
Among Google TV's features:
• Search your TV: "Type in what you want to watch, and we'll find it for you. Google TV lets you seamlessly search all of the content on your TV, the Web, and apps — then access it with a single click. You can also easily switch between TV and the Web without having to change inputs on your television."
• The Web is "now a channel": Using Google's Chrome Web browser and Adobe Flash 10.1, Google TV "lets you access everything on the Web. Watch your favorite Web videos, view photos, play games, check fantasy scores, chat with friends and do everything else you're accustomed to doing online. Plus, the world's best websites are now being perfected for television."
• "A new world of apps" for the tube: Google TV "will come pre-loaded with apps like Netflix, Twitter, CNBC, Pandora, Napster, NBA Game Time, Amazon Video On Demand and Gallery. Starting early next year, apps from Android Market will work on Google TV as well."
• Android phones and iPhones can be used as remotes "to control your Google TV in place of a remote control. Use your voice to search, and even use multiple phones to control the same TV."
• "Fling a video to your television": "Find a great website on your phone and want to show it to everyone? Now you can. 'Fling' what you're watching, listening to, or doing on your phone by sending it to your TV with the press of a button." (NPD industry analyst Ross Rubin noted in a tweet: "Looks like Google TV's 'Fling' feature will be its counterpart to Apple TV's AirPlay," its new wireless streaming system for photos, videos and music.
• "Watch and browse simultaneously": Surf the Web or "open an app and watch TV on the same screen. Check your fantasy football stats while watching the game, check your @replies on Twitter during 'American Idol,' or purchase a product online right after you watch the ad. It's just like picture-in-picture mode, but with the Web and the TV."
Google Monday also announced several partnerships for content, including those with Turner Broadcasting, HBO and NBC Universal (Msnbc.com is an NBC Universal-Microsoft joint venture).
Basketball fans will be happy to know that the NBA has created "NBA Game Time," an app that "lets you follow game scores in real-time and catch up on the latest highlights from your favorite team in HD," Google said.
"In addition, we've partnered with some of the leading premium content providers to bring thousands of movie and TV titles, on-demand, directly to your television," wrote Ambarish Kenghe, Google TV's developer product manager on Google's blog. "Amazon Video on Demand offers access to over 75,000 titles for rental or purchase, and Netflix will offer the ability to instantly watch unlimited movies and TV shows, anytime, streaming directly to the TV."
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